Laura Marriott, former president of the Mobile Marketing Association, is now working to raise awareness around the mobile 2D barcode space.

She has joine NeoMedia's board of directors. NeoMeida specializes in camera-initiated transactions for mobile devices. Ms. Marriott will bring her expertise in mobile marketing to NeoMedia with the goal of contributing to the company's growth, helping to strengthen its position as a provider of 2D bar code scanning services and enabling new revenue opportunities for brand agencies, carriers and handset manufacturers.

"I'm very excited about the 2D mobile barcode space, as it gives consumes the opportunity to access the mobile Internet, applications, product information, coupons and ticketing via their handset," Ms. Marrriot said. "When I started with the MMA, it was very much focused on education and awareness, since not a lot of brands and agencies were familiar with mobile.

"With the 2D space, I want to build a similar awareness helping to create an industry," she said. "I bring context throughout entire mobile ecosystem, which will help to position NeoMedia in this space."

Laura Marriott served as president of the MMA through Dec. 31, 2008, leading the global association in its charter to drive the adoption of the mobile channel for marketing purposes.

During her tenure, the MMA membership experienced impressive growth, established its global headquarters and regional chapters throughout the world and developed guidelines for the industry.

Ms. Marriott has more than 17 years of experience in the high-tech industry in the areas of business development, product management and marketing.

As a board member, Ms. Marriott will bring her knowledge of mobile marketing to help NeoMedia clear obstacles to market development and establish best practices for sustainable growth.

"NeoMedia is the market leader in this space, and it owns a lot of intellectual property related to 2D bar codes -- I'm very excited to join their board," Ms. Marriot said. "I'm impressed with their new management team, which certainly has made a difference.

"Neomedia is a public company, so I'll take on the fiduciary responsibilities that come with being a board member, from strategic oversight and guidance to holding the management team accountable to shareholders and helping to raise the value of the company as a key member of the leadership team," she said.

NeoMedia Technologies Inc.'s mobile barcode scanning technology allows mobile devices with cameras to read 1D and 2D barcodes and provide one-click access to mobile content.

Combining this technology with analytics and reporting capabilities has the potential to revolutionize the way advertisers market to mobile consumers.

NeoMedia claims that it provides the infrastructure to make 2D camera bar code scanning and its associated commerce easy, universal and reliable worldwide.

The company's mobile phone technology, NeoReader, reads and transmits data from 1-D, and 2-D barcodes to its intended destination.

The company's Code Management and Code Clearinghouse platforms create, connect, record and transmit the transactions embedded in the 1-D and 2-D barcodes, like Web URLs, text messages and telephone calls.

NeoMedia's claims that its industrial and carrier-grade infrastructure enables reliable, scalable and billable commerce.

NeoMedia was founded in 1989, and is based in Atlanta, GA. It currently has 30 active patents spanning 13 countries, with 29 additional patents pending.

NeoMedia Technologies' competitors include Mobile Discovery, Scanbuy and SnapTell.

In an effort to drive more consumers to its mobile ordering site, Papa John's International Inc. teamed up with NeoMedia to launch a promotion leveraging 2D barcodes, enabling consumers to order pizza directly from their mobile phones (see story).

"We are honored to have such a prestigious mobile marketing authority as Laura join our board," said Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies, in a written statement.

"With her proven track record of leadership, dedication and the ability to create and execute on programs with measurable results, Laura's contribution will help to position NeoMedia at the forefront of this exciting industry as it gears up for rapid growth," he said.

So what other plans does Ms. Marriott have for the future?

"I'll be staying at the MMA till end of March to aid in the transition and ensure that there's no interruption in member benefits, and I'll be taking on other board positions," Ms. Marriott said. "I'll also take some much-needed time off.

"I'm very much an entrepreneur, so I'm always looking for new opportunities," she said.